2586 Senator
Hurley: To ask the Minister representing the Minister for Immigration
and Citizenship—With reference to the report in the Australian on 22 August 2006 that 110 Chinese nationals obtained
their passports and citizenship illegally:

(1) Were
both of the people charged in this incident departmental officials before,
when or after the incident was uncovered; if so: (a) what were their
positions; and (b) between which dates were they employed by the department.

(2) Were
the two people charged employed by any government department at anytime.

(3) With
what crimes were these two people charged.

(4) Were
there only two people charged in this incident; if not, were the additional
people charged employed by the department or any other government department
at anytime.

(5) When
and how did the department become aware that this incident was occurring.

(6) What
measures has the department put in place to ensure that this corrupt
practice does not continue within the department.

(7) Have
any new false passport and citizenship cases been exposed since the
two people were arrested.

(8) Excluding
the 110 Chinese nationals, how many false passports and citizenships
have been detected by government officials for each of the years 2000,
2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2006.

(9) Is
the Government conducting an enquiry into this incident; if so: (a)
who is conducting it; (b) when will the findings be handed down; and
(c) will the findings, in their entirety, be made public.

(10) Whose
decision was it to allow the 110 Chinese nationals to keep their passports
and maintain their Australian citizenship.